Saints guard Dillon Radunz reports torn ACL, ending his 2026 push

The New Orleans Saints are facing an early setback in 2026 camp after guard Dillon Radunz reportedly suffered a torn ACL in practice, according to reporting that included Nick Underhill of. The injury is expected to conclude Radunz’s second season with the club, cutting short the work he had been doing as the Saints prepare for the regular season.

Radunz was on the radar as interior depth for New Orleans in 2026, where he had been in line for a backup guard role. The report frames the ACL tear as a premature end to his current campaign, with the timing coming during the types of sessions that typically shape preseason roles and lineup depth.

This would be the second ACL tear of Radunz’s NFL career, a key detail when evaluating how quickly players return and how teams manage their workload through the rehab cycle. For a guard, ACL recovery tends to have implications for lateral movement and change-of-direction skills, especially in the run game and pass protection where sustained balance matters against interior pressure.

Radunz entered the league as a second-round pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2021. He later joined the Saints for what has been his second season in New Orleans, bringing interior experience shaped by his transition from college football to NFL protection and run-blocking responsibilities. The report also notes his background as a North Dakota State alum, underscoring the professional pipeline that has produced multiple NFL-caliber linemen.

For the Saints, the immediate consequence is straightforward: an important depth option on the interior is removed from practice reps, forcing New Orleans to continue sorting out the backup guard picture through the remainder of camp. That can affect how the team evaluates line combinations, particularly for second-unit run schemes and who can handle protection calls when starters rest.

What to watch next is how quickly the Saints adjust their interior rotation, including which guards take over the reps that Radunz had been receiving. Team decisions this close to the regular season tend to be measured and conservative, especially when a player’s return timeline depends on the specifics of an ACL rehab plan.